A photo journal of a former islander living in the Sonoran desert

Sunday Slow Bakers: Grappa-soaked Mini Sponge Cakes

We’re baking our way through Gina’s wonderful book and this week’s recipe is on page 80.

As usual I had to make a couple of adjustments to the recipe. I didn’t have mini bundt pans so I used a large bundt pan. I knew I didn't have grappa in the liquor cabinet and didn't want to buy a bottle because no one drinks it at my house so I looked for a good substitute. I had limoncello, orangecello, Grand Marnier and Kahlua. I considered the first three for a few minutes but somehow decided against using any of them and proceeded to make a syrup of one part almond extract and two parts Bacardi rum.

So, mine was an Almond Rum-Soaked Sponge Cake. I sprinkled powered sugar on top and added some sliced almond for looks.

Loved the cake, the texture and the almond flavor. Since I didn’t use the mini pans, mine wasn't completely soaked in the syrup. I did save a bit of the syrup to drizzle on top of the first few slices. I'll make this cake again and will probably use limoncello or Grand Marnier.